host: where is president assad at the moment? caller: we seldom see him. occasionally he will make a public appearance. by and large, i think he is invisible. he is not highly visible for someone who was made such a determined effort to stay in power, despite what is happened to his country. occasionally he will give an interview to the foreign press or even the national press. he is more visible in posters at this point. host: the "l.a. times" bureau chief joining us here in washington. you can'm wondering if provide an update on what is happening in tripoli from your vantage point. caller: i just spent a couple of days up there. it is the second set of web and on. -- city of lebanon. sunni muslims car the prevalent population and prevalent rebel group. there's been periodic combat there between sunni gunmen and people who are part of the sect. the resident, a think, 14 or 15 people killed. -- there has been, i think, 14 or 15 people killed. the has been battles up there. it feels like a mirror image of syria right now. host: are u.s. intelligence officia